When it comes to Dota 2 tournaments, there are always a number of hiccups experienced from the production up to the players. For the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor, the latest issue is one of government visas. Two Dota 2 team are being denied entry to Ukraine.
Scheduled for March 7 to March 10, the winner of the StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor gets a shot at $1250,000, 120 DPC points, and a slot in DreamLeague Season 11. This year's event is held at the Cybersport Arena in Kiev.
It appears that Russian team Old But Gold has been deported back to Minsk, Russia. The team had won a slot through the CIS Qualifier along with Gambit Esports.
This news comes courtesy of a tweet from Vitali “v1lat” Volochai, who revealed that all players of the team were indeed not given permission to enter Ukraine. Old But Gold is said to try again tomorrow, with the organizers currently in discussions with Ukriane officials to resolve the matter.
All five “Old But Good” players were declined the entrance to Ukraine.
— Vitalii Volochai #StandWithUkraine (@v1lat) March 5, 2019
Players are being deported to Minsk today, and will try to enter the country one more time tomorrow.#KyivMinor
SL staff is working hard with Ukrainian officials to solve the issue.
A little later, v1lat would again tweet. This time, the pro said three players of Gambit Esports were also not allowed entry to the country. This comes after waiting for some hours in the airport. Like Old But Gold, the Gambit Esports players will also try to enter the country again tomorrow.
In a statement, Gambit Esports revealed that in addition to the three players, the team's coach and manager was also denied. Gambit Esports also said that even OG stand-in Igor "iLTW" Filatov was facing the same issue. Manager Konsatantin Pikiner mentioned this is an important tournament for the team, and the group has not lost hope with regards to the team's participation in the minor.
Regarding StarLadder ImbaTV Dota 2 Minor #SLMinor pic.twitter.com/9U7VeaWu5K
— Gambit Esports (@GambitEsports) March 5, 2019
This isn't that uncommon of an occurance. Teams and players often face a visa issues, with a player and a caster even unable to attend TI7. During TI4, two teams were denied US visas and unable to join Dota 2's biggest tournament that year. During the Chongqing Major last year, TNC's Carlo “Kuku” Palad was banned by Valve from participating due to alleged racist remarks.
There are those who are saying that the denial of entry could be related to the geopolitical climate between Russia and Ukraine, with Ukrainian elections scheduled at the end of the month. There is also the matter of Russia increasing its military presence in the area.
